The story of Rich Harden’s career is injuries; he gets hurt so often, he has pitched more than 148 innings only once in his nine major-league seasons.

Well, what if teams asked less of Harden? What if they tried him as a late-inning reliever who worked one inning rather than as a starter who was extended every fifth day?

The idea isn’t so far-fetched.

Harden, a free-agent right-hander, is drawing interest from clubs that would use him either as a starter or reliever, according to major-league sources.

Teams never question Harden’s stuff; he has averaged more than a strikeout per inning in his career. Working out of the bullpen, he likely would throw even harder. And his chances of staying healthy probably would be greater.

Harden, 30, spent last season with the Oakland Athletics, but was sidelined until July 1 with a strained lat muscle on his right side. He went 4-4 with a 5.12 ERA after joining the rotation, and again struggled with home runs.

In his last two seasons with the Athletics and Texas Rangers, Harden has allowed a combined 35 homers in 174 2/3 innings.

At this time last year, Rich Harden was one of the most talked about free-agent starting pitchers.

One poor season later – a 5.58 ERA in fewer than 100 innings with Texas – and it’s not clear whether Harden’s future is in the rotation or bullpen. But at least he has the free-agent market to help him figure that out.

Harden’s representatives are gauging interest from a number of teams. Some like him as a starter. Some like him as a reliever.

The New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners and Colorado Rockies are among the teams who have checked in, a source said.

Questions about Harden’s durability are a major reason why the bullpen is becoming a more viable option. Despite a career 3.63 ERA, the right-hander's never thrown 200 innings in a season.

Still, he is only 29 years old and has power stuff. Someone will take a chance on him.